Long Shadows
by Kelly of the midnight dawn
Summary: Dark events from our past tend to cast long shadows on our present. What happens when one of Lawrence Fletcher's shadows finds him and his family after nearly seven years? Rated T
1. Chapter 1: Caught in a Lie

**Long Shadows**

**Chapter 1: Caught in a Lie**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Phineas and Ferb. I am writing this story for the soul purpose of entertaining myself and others and not for any monitary gain. No copyright infringment is intended. Do not sue me, PLEASE!**

**A/N: First ever Phineas and Ferb fic that I've had the courage to post. Please be kind. Also, I feel the need to explain up front that this story will be centering around the Flynn-Fletcher family and while Perry the Platypus is part of that family he will not play much of a role in this story as I felt that an Agent P plotline would detract from the main story. So I apologize in advance to Perry lovers (myself included) He will definitely feature in other Phineas and Ferb stories that I may be posting but not in this one.**

**DEDICATION: To Lolli-S who gave me the courage to post this; to TheCuriousWriter who I know would have given me the courage had she been available and to everyone on Lolli's forum for putting up with me going on and on about things like Phineas and Ferb and Doctor Who when the forum is in the Pokemon section...**

It was a lazy hazy Summer Saturday in the Flynn-Fletcher household. Linda and Lawrence were spending a quiet afternoon at home together, curled up on the sofa, listening to music. It was something they rarely if ever got to do these days. But Candace was out with Jeremy for the afternoon while Mrs. Garcia Shapiro had taken Phineas and Ferb along to the beach with her and Isabella. And of course Perry, their pet platypus had disappeared to heaven only knew where. So the couple had this time to spend together.

Even with their blended family of three children the couple hadn't seemed to lose their spark after over five years of marriage. While they thrived on the noise and energy provided by their houseful of love and joy, they still cherished these moments when the two of them could be together.

Lawrence inhaled deeply, the smell of his wife's hair overwhelming his senses. The scent of apricot shampoo and fresh cut grass. He loved the way that she tucked against him so perfectly on the sofa as the plaintive notes of music drifted from the stereo. There was nothing more perfect to him than these moments with her.

He let out a long, contented sigh as the song changed and a smile blossomed on his face "Remember this love?" he asked with a bit of a teasing tone.

Linda grinned up at him "Our first dance. Outside the coffee shop," she sighed and moved to kiss him.

Lawrence kissed her back and the kiss would have deepened if it weren't for the doorbell. The two reluctantly broke apart and Lina rose from the sofa with a groan of annoyance. Lawrence felt sorry for whoever was on the other side of that door.

"What do you want?" Linda greeted, not unkindly, as she opened the door. She stared in confusion at the visitor. A woman about Linda's height was looking her up and down skeptically. It wasn't the other woman's scrutiny that bothered Linda as much as the woman's uncanny resemblance to her stepson.

After a long moment, the mysterious visitor spoke in a rather curt tone "I'm looking for Lawrence Fletcher."

There was an audible gasp behind Linda "Diana," Lawrence breathed in a tone of shock, disbelief and if Linda had listened more closely instead of being too shocked herself, she would have heard the obvious fear. "What…? How did you…? Aren't you still supposed to be…?"

The woman who had been identified as Diana glared at Lawrence though she kept her tone civil "I have my ways Lawrence," she replied criptically to all the above questions.

Lawrence struggled to get a grip on himself. He finally dug deep and found it within himself to speak in full sentences "Diana, why are you here?" the question was asked forcefully and it was clear by the tone that this Diana woman was not welcome.

"I'm here to see my son Lawrence," Diana replied "I still have rights."

"The courts granted me full custody," Lawrence reminded her.

Linda looked from one to the other, feeling suddenly very out of place. She was standing directly between the two and they were conversing right past her. She stepped back, retreating to the door that led into the kitchen so as to still be able to observe the conversation without being in the middle of it.

Lawrence desperately wished that she hadn't done that. It was no secret that Linda was the stronger of the two. Lawrence was timid by comparison and he felt a lot safer conversting with Diana with Linda standing beside him.

"I still have a right to see him," Diana protested "So where is he?"

"He's out with his brother and friends," Lawrence replied curtly, not bothering to use the 'step' modifier. That modifier had disappeared for the Flynn-Fletcher family long ago and was seldom brought up at all in conversation.

Diana looked positively furious with Lawrence. She grabbed the man by his shirt collar and pulled him close to her. And in a voice so low that Linda couldn't hear the threatening message she said "Listen to me you little chicken shit, you thought you could take my son away from me. Well, you're greatly mistaken. I'll be back tomorrow and I want to see him. If I don't, you can bet that there will be hell to pay."

By this point Linda had returned to her husband's side and was glaring at Diana for daring to lay hands on the man. Diana released Lawrence who straightened his collar and took in a deep breath.

"And if he doesn't want to see you?" Lawrence asked.

"He will," Diana smiled, shooting a glare at Linda "After all, I'm his mother, his real mother," after a pause to let her words sink in she added "I'll be here tomorrow at noon to see him. Make sure he's dressed and ready." With that she turned and left.

Lawrence closed the front door with a sigh of relief and leant against it for support "Well," he said at last "That was a bit of unwelcomed news." When there was no reply to his statement he turned his attention to Linda. The betrayal and hurt on her face was evident.

"You told me that Diana was dead," she said quietly as she turned and walked into the kitchen.

Lawrence once again sighed as he pushed himself off from the door and followed her "I was hoping that you'd never have to find out…"

"What?" Linda asked, her voice rising slightly with the hurt and shock of it all "You didn't want me to find out that you lied to me. Are we even legally married?"

"Yes," Lawrence assured her, attempting to wrap an arm around her waist.

She pushed him away "So you divorced her?" she asked, to which Lawrence nodded "You told me she died when Ferb was just a baby."

"It would have been better if she had," Lawrence replied, attempting to wrap an arm around his wife once again. He needed her to be by his side. He needed her to understand. Most importantly, he needed her to not hate him.

"What are you talking about?" Linda questioned, her tone softening just a bit.

"It's a long story love," Lawrence sighed resignedly as he slipped into a chair at the kitchen table "It's the story of a cowardly mouse of a man and his son who was much braver at the tender age of three than the cowardly man could ever hope to be."

Linda came to stand behind her husband, her hands resting comfortingly on his shoulders "I'm listening," she said softly.

Lawrence closed his eyes and began to tell the tale.

XXX

"Phineas!" Isabella called out as she ran up to him across the sand.

"What is it Isabella?" Phineas asked as he looked up from the intricate sandcastle that he and Ferb had been constructing.

The young girl opened her tightly clenched fingers to reveal a perfect scallop shell "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked feverently.

Phineas nodded before returning to the business of constructing a sound parapet out of wet sand. The real beach did have some advantages over the beach that he and his brother had built in the backyard earlier that summer but it was certainly lacking in action in comparison.

The brothers had swum, had hotdogs and done every other possible beach activity. Now they were building a sandcastle. A nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary, regular sized sandcastle. While it had sounded boring at first the structural complications that presented themselves when trying to replicate a castle in miniature actually proved quite interesting.

Isabella pouted and plopped on the sand to watch Phineas and Ferb work.

Ferb was busy working on the arches of the castle and was having a bit of trouble as the wet sand continuously slipped through his fingers. The model castle was not even a quarter of the way completed when Mrs. Garcia Shapiro came up to the children.

"It's getting late," she informed them "And I promised your parents I'd have you boys home by five thirty."

"Aww," Phineas shrugged as he abandoned the project. He and Ferb followed Isabella and her mother back to the car. The boys feeling particularly down that time constraints had forced them to abandon the castle before its completion.

The drive back to Danville was rather quiet with Isabella and her mother being the only ones to initiate conversation. Phineas stared back at the beach for as long as he possibly could. All Summer long he and Ferb had never left something unfinished until now. Phineas couldn't help feeling that it was a bad omen.

Ferb was thinking along the same lines. Though Ferb didn't tend to believe in omens, good or bad. Though as the car wound through the streets of Danville's city center and they passed by a hotel plaza, Ferb's feelings about omens nearly changed when he saw a face he hadn't seen in many years.

The boy immediately ducked his head and his shoulders began to shake just the tiniest bit. Isabella and her mother in the front seat didn't notice but Phineas did.

"Ferb…?" Phineas questioned concernedly.

The other boy looked up at his brother and flashed a half smile that was meant to convey that he was fine but somehow Phineas didn't buy it. "Well, maybe we can go back to the beach next weekend," Phineas proposed, misinterpreting the cause of his brother's shift in demeanor "I bet the castle will still be there. We built it sturdy enough and maybe we'll have time to finish it then."

Ferb just nodded, not ready to let his brother in on the thoughts currently running through his head.

XXX

Linda and Lawrence had migrated back onto the couch by the end of his story. Linda was wiping tears from her eyes as she curled into her husband's arms "We can't let her see Ferb," she said decisively "We can't put him through that."

"Agreed," Lawrence replied, strokinghis wife's hair "She'll be back tomorrow though. What do we do?"

"I'll call a lawyer," Linda told him "I can't believe she'd still have any rights al all."

Lawrence pulled his wife closer "I won't let her near him if I can help it Linda, wheather the law is on my side or not. I won't do that to him."

Linda was about to reply when the sound of a car pulling up to the house forced her to suppress it "Kids are home," she sniffed as she attempted to wipe away the evidence that she'd been crying.

Both parents greeted their boys at the door. Phineas was excitedly telling them about his day but Ferb seemed distant. Even though the green haired boy was never one for long drawn out conversations, he was always affectionate and animated in the presence of his parents. Today he looked worriedly at the puffiness beneath his mother's eyes and the way in which his father's jaw was set and kept his distance.

Phineas rushed off to his room with some sort of rambunctious plan of calculating whether their sandcastle would survive the week and Ferb lagged behind. He followed his parents into the kitchen as they started to prepare dinner. When Linda sent Lawrence to the pantry to locate a can of tomatoes she took the opertunity to pull her son to the side. She knelt before him so that she could look into his eyes.

"Ferb honey?" she began "Is everything alright? Didn't you have fun at the beach?"

The boy nodded and without warning flung his arms around Linda's neck, burying his face in her shoulder. Linda returned the embrace "Sweetheart," she cooed "What's wrong?"

The boy did not respond. After all he wasn't sure if he had truly seen what he thought he'd seen. Then again it had been so many years since he'd been plagued with the thought that she would find them that it made no sense that he would have simply imagined seeing his biological mother now.

"I found them!" Lawrence called triumphantly as he nearly bounced back into the kitchen "They were playing hide and seek behind several boxes of pas…ta…" he trailed off when he saw his wife consoling Ferb on the kitchen floor "Well what's all this then?" he asked, kneeling down beside them both and laying a hand on his son's back "Did something happen at the beach?" If that was the case though, Lawrence was sure Phineas would have mentioned it if Ferb had been picked on by another child. Phineas was protective of his brother like that and Ferb was protective in turn.

Ferb withdrew himself from his mother's embrace carefully and turned to face his father "Dad…?" he began hesitantly "Is she here? Did she find us?"

Lawrence nodded slowly. He took the shivering boy itno his arms "I'm sorry Ferb," he whispered as he rocked the boy "I'm so sorry."

Phineas, who by this time had wondered why his brother hadn't been hot on his heels when he ran to their shared bedroom, had heard his brother's question and the reply but was thoroughly confused. He took a tentative step into the kitchen "Who?" he asked "Who found you?"

Lawrence turned to his other son with earnest eyes. He knew he couldn't lie to the boy "My first wife," he replied "Ferb's biological mother."


	2. Chapter 2: Nightmares

**Long Shadows**

**Chapter 2: Nightmares**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed chapter one. Seeing as how I am new to writing for this fandom, I really appreciate your feedback.**

Candace returned soon afterwards to find her entire family in a state of shock and despair. She wasn't able to get a straight answer out of any of them save Phineas who told her as much as he knew. Upon hearing this news, Candace, just as her mother had been at first, was extremely hurt. She remembered much better than Phineas did the way things had been when they first met Lawrence and Ferb. The story of Ferb's mother having been dead since he was an infant had caused her to feel great and deep sympathy for the boy.

"You lied to us," Candace accused Lawrence as she ran upstairs to her room.

"Candace honey," Linda followed after her.

"Don't rry to make escuses for him mom," Candace said bitterly and was about to slam the door in her mother's face but Linda stuck her foot in the way.

"He had his reasons Candace," Linda told her daughter.

"What reasons," Candace asked bitterly.

Linda looked around to make sure neither of her boys were within earshot before she replied "Diana's been in jail for the past several years Candace…"

Candace detected something in her mother's tone that made her open the door "Why was she in jail?" she asked hesitantly "Tax fraud or something?"

Linda shook her head as she stepped into the room and shut the door "No sweetie… She nearly killed Ferb when he was three…"

Candace gasped and sank to her bed "Oh my God…" she sat in silence for a long moment before she spoke again "So why does she think Ferb will even want to see her?"

Linda sat down on the bed beside her daughter "She doesn't think what Ferb wants matters and, like she said to me, she's his 'real' mother."

Candace embraced her mother "Mom, you know you're more of a mother to Ferb than that horrible woman will ever be, right?"

Linda nodded "Yeah…" she whispered, though her tone was not convincing.

XXX

Lawrence and Linda were tucking the boys in. Lawrence was plagued with guilt that over the lie he'd let go on so many years and fear of what was to come as he said good night to Phineas. The red haired boy wrapped his arms around his father's neck "It'll be okay Dad," the boy assured.

Lawrence smiled at the boy. If only he could have that confidence. "Get some sleep," he told the child as he stood up.

Linda had just given Ferb a kiss good night and was standing to leave when Ferb grabbed her hand tightly "Mom…" he whispered.

Linda bent to her son's side "What is it honey?" she asked.

Ferb looked sheepishly up at her and with a hesitant voice he asked "Could you sit with me until I fall asleep please?"

Linda smiled softly, a memory of a smaller version of the boy she was gazing upon popped into her head. At that time she had been unsure of what had made the child seek her comfort but with the revelations of the day, suddenly it all became clear "Sure," she took a seat on the edge of the bed.

Lawrence left the room and headed out to the back yard. He took a seat on an old lawn chair and allowed his chin to hit his chest. He became lost in his thoughts and his guilt overwhelmed him. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the back door open.

The first clue that he had that he was not alone in the back yard was a soft voice whispering "Dad…?" into the darkness.

Lawrence lifted his head and turned to see Candace standing on the back steps. He nodded to her and she moved forward, taking a seat beside him. He sighed heavily "I suppose you want some kind of explanation?"

Candace shook her head "Mom told me enough," she said quickly, trying to shake the thought from her mind though it would not disappear.

"You must be pretty mad at old Lawrence," Lawrence murmured, referring to himself by name instead of as her father.

Candace shook her head "I can't be mad at you Dad. If my Dad felt like he had to lie about something, I know he had a very good reason."

Lawrence smiled at the teenager. She had been the hardest one to win over out of the Flynn's, even more so than Linda's parents. His smile quickly faded though "It was a good reason," he remarked "But it didn't seem to help anything…"

There was complete silence for a full minute then with only the steady chirp-chirp of crickets as evidence that time had not completely stopped. Candace took a deep breath and decided to break the silence "Did she really try to kill Ferb…?"

Lawrence heaved a heavy sigh "No, I don't think she was trying to kill him. She was angry… with me and she decided to take it out on someone who couldn't fight back…"

Candace felt tears prickling her eyes "What are you and Mom gonna do when she comes back?"

"I don't know," Lawrence replied "I just don't know Candace. We'll stop her somehow though…"

XXX

Linda sat in the home office, her forehead leaning against the palm of her hand. She had just gotten off the phone with a lawyer. He had had all the medical records, divorce papers, police reports and trial transcripts faxed to him from London and he said that he would see what he could do.

Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she remembered Lawrence's words from earlier that day. He'd been so deflated, so guilty, it was obvious that he'd never been able to forgive himself for letting Diana hurt his son. And that was why he ran. Even after Diana was behind bars.

He had picked up everything and fled with Ferb to the United States. To give the boy he loved so dearly a chance at a normal life, a chance to leave his tragic past behind. And it had all been for nothing. Diana had found them in the end.

From what Linda could surmise, Diana hadn't changed a bit from the way Lawrence had described her. Up until that day Lawrence had said nothing of Diana other than she'd died when Ferb was a baby. He'd never told Linda of an indeering memory of the woman. Linda had assumed it was Lawrence's attempt at sparing her feelings but now she knew better.

She was crying now. There could be no legal grounds on which Diana could take Ferb away but that didn't mean that she wouldn't try tactics both legal and illegal. Linda buried her face in her crossed arms. She was afraid of what his biological mother's reappearance in his life would do to her still fragile boy.

"Mom," the soft voice from the door caused her to hurridly dry her tears. She turned to see the very boy that was occupying her thoughts standing in the half opened door.

"Ferb honey," she managed to say in a voice that didn't betray her earlier tears "Couldn't you sleep?"

The boy shook his head and entered the room only to be immediately embraced and pulled into Linda's lap. He tucked himself as close to her as he possibly could "I had a nightmare…" he explained "I didn't want to wake Phineas so I came down here."

Linda rubbed comforting circles into Ferb's back "You can sit here with me for a little while sweetheart," she assured him.

The child smiled his thanks. A few moments later he reached a small hand up to trace his mother's cheek "You were crying," it was a statement rather than a question. Of all of Linda's children, Ferb was definitely the most observant. Phineas was a close second for certain but Ferb's quiet nature leant itself to observation.

"Yes," she admitted to her son. It was no use lying to Ferb.

A long silence again followed. Linda knew that the boy had spoken more words in the past few minutes than he was apt to speak in an entire day and so much talk made the lad uncomfortable. Yet after a little more silence, during which Linda could tell that Ferb was preparing to say something by the look in his eyes as if he was trying to word it correctly first, he said "Please don't be scared. You're always gonna be my real Mom."

Linda broke into tears and gave Ferb a squeeze before kissing him on his forehead and both his cheeks "I love you so much," she whispered, squeezing him again "I promise you, I promise you right now, that woman will never hurt you again."

XXX

Lawrence followed Candace in from the back yard "Best be getting to bed love," he told her as he gave her a quick hug "It's awfully late."

Candace nodded, her eyes still sparkling with unshed tears after the long talk she and her father had had. She hurried up the stairs just as Linda came out of the office carrying a sleeping Ferb in her arms.

Lawrence looked at her in surprise "I didn't know he'd gotten up," he said in a hushed tone so as not to awaken the boy.

"He had a nightmare," Linda explained as she headed for the stairs. Ferb was a bit bigger as a ten year old than he had been at the age of four but Linda still managed to get him upstairs and into bed without any difficulty. Once Ferb was safely tucked in and she had checked on Phineas and said good night to Candace she returned downstairs to where her husband was sitting in the living room, his head in his hands.

Linda dropped onto the couch beside him "He's out like a light," she said with a half smile "Hopefully he won't have any more bad dreams tonight."

"I should have been expecting this to happen," Lawrence replied "He had nightmares for months after we left England. I tried to tell him that Diana was in jail and couldn't follow us but he was convinced she would find us. I used to have to sit with him for hours before he'd feel safe enough to sleep." He turned to Linda "His nightmares started to go away when we met you and Candace and Phineas," he pulled her into a tight embrace "Linda, I'll never be able to thank you enough for everything that you did for the both of us."

Linda smiled softly, wrapping her arms around Lawrence's neck "And I'll never be able to thank you enough for what you did for us," she told him as she kissed him.

Lawrence returned the kiss "I don't deserve this you know," he told her once they'd broken apart "You and Candace and Phineas, you all love me. What did I do to deserve your love?"

Linda curled up against him "You breezed into the life of a single mother and her two children and gave them hope," she replied "You and Ferb both did."

"What did the lawyer say?" Lawrence asked after a long pause, feeling like it was time he changed the topic. Of course Ferb was deserving of all the love in the world but he, he didn't deserve any of it. Not after what he had allowed to happen to his son.

He had missed all the signs. He had been so focused on career and had expected that Diana wouldn't mind. He had spent as much time with his son as he possibly could but he hadn't seen the bruises and when he did, Diana would tell him that it was just a symptom of being a little boy.

It hadn't been until that fateful night that he had seen Diana for the monster she truly was. The memory of that night would haunt him always. Not even Linda's warm presence or Candace's assurance that she didn't blame 'her father' for the lie he had perpetrated or Phineas's assurance that all would turn out well would make him believe he was anything more than a pathetic coward who had failed his child.

"He's going to go over all the documents that I had faxed from England," Linda told him "He's not entirely sure yet but given what I told him he says it looks like Diana doesn't have a right to see Ferb and doesn't have any legal recourse."

Lawrence sighed in relief "At least we can tell her that when she shows up here tomorrow."

Linda nodded and decided that if that didn't satisfy Diana then Linda herself would provide Diana with a few less-legally based choice phrases. "We should make sure Ferb isn't here tomorrow when she comes."

"The Danville carnival's starting up tomorrow," Lawrence said thoughtfully "Do you suppose we could convince Candace to take the boys?"

Linda smirked at this. She remembered hearing something about Jeremy's band performing at the carnival "I'm sure we can work out some arrangement with her," she said finally.

It wasn't long after that that Lawrence and Linda headed upstairs to bed. Lawrence snuggled into bed beside his wife "I love you, you know," he told her.

"I know," she replied smugly "And I love you, with all my heart. I hope you believe that."

"Oh, I do," Lawrence replied as he kissed her good night.

But there was something in his voice that made Linda think he really truly didn't know. Forgoing sleep for the time being, Linda Flynn-Fletcher decided to show him just how much she loved him. It was a good hour and a half before they finally settled down to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Diana the Devil

**Long Shadows**

**Chapter 3: Diana the Devil**

**A/N: Thanks to the support of lovely readers and reviewers like AudreyMetalMouth, Brave Soul RMS and Mysteryless and to all others who have read and reviewed this story. I hope you like this chapter. I actually calmed myself down about finishing it on time long enough to spell check it!**

It didn't take much convincing for Candace to agree to take the boys to the carnival but Linda gave her fifty dollars anyway for her trouble. Lawrence made sure to get the children up early even though Phineas and Ferb normally woke up early on their own; Lawrence wasn't going to take any chances. While Lawrence was hurrying the children through the morning routine Linda was on her cell phone with the lawyer. She hurried about from room to room, helping prepare things to help get the kids out of the house all the while carrying on a conversation.

Phineas could tell something was up when he came downstairs to see his father making French toast. He didn't bother to ask questions since he could hear his mother's side of the conversation she was having with the lawyer. When Phineas had awakened that morning Ferb had already been awake, sitting in a chair by the window, looking alert and nervous. Phineas knew it had something to do with his brother's biological mother but he didn't ask Ferb any questions. He could tell Ferb didn't want to talk about it.

Candace for her part was eyeing both her parents worriedly half the time and dreamily staring off into space thinking about Jeremy for the other half. Occasionally she would look to Ferb who appeared somehow as if he was attempting to shrink into himself that morning. Her mind raced with the memory of her conversation with her father the night before. How could anyone hurt Ferb? Her brothers while infuriatingly confident and ingenious, were, as long as she was honest with herself and put all sibling rivalry and petty busting urges aside, the two nicest little boys she knew. Ferb especially was kind, considerate and polite and she couldn't imagine his as anything less than even more endearing as a child of three.

It broke her heart that someone could ever hurt her little brother. She was glad that she would be at the carnival today when Diana came by. If Candace ever met the woman, she swore she'd practice a different kind of busting on Diana's face.

Ferb picked at his food, eating only a small amount. He felt ill. His parents had explained to him that Candace was going to take him and his brother to the carnival but he couldn't help but think that no matter what happened today, Diana would not give up so easily. No amount of time would ever wipe the memories of what Diana had done to him from his mind. Of course Ferb knew that his birth mother must have loved him at some point but by the time of that fateful night, he truly believed that she hated him and wouldn't be satisfied until he was dead.

Linda and Lawrence were too busy rushing around to notice Ferb's demeanor but Phineas took note of his brother's hunched form and still mostly full plate. There had been a reason why their father had prepared French toast for them that morning; normally Ferb couldn't resist his father's secret recipe.

Phineas reached out and grabbed his brother's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze while at the same time offering the other boy a smile "Come on Ferb," he teased "Aren't you hungry? You know just as well as I do that you can't keep up at the carnival without starting the day with a full stomach."

Ferb returned his brother's smile and heartened slightly by his words, managed to clean his plate. After he finished Ferb and his brother cleared their places and placed their dishes in the sink. Ferb passed close by his mother on his way out of the kitchen and noticed that she was misty eyed as she continued to speak to the lawyer. Ferb couldn't help wondering what was being said on the other end of that phone line but he forced himself to forget about it and hurried to the door where his siblings were waiting.

XXX

"Here we are kids," Lawrence said as he pulled up at the entrance to the carnival "Have fun. I'll be back to pick you up this afternoon."

The children piled out of the car. Candace was in a hurry to see Jeremy but as she and Phineas rushed towards the entrance, she holding her wallet in hand to pay for their admission, she couldn't help noticing that Ferb lingered by the car for just a bit before following them.

"It'll be okay," Lawrence flashed his son a bright grin that belied the man's true emotions at that moment.

The boy however was far too wise beyond his years to be fooled by such a placating gesture. But Ferb did not have time to respond as Phineas was waving and calling to him. Ferb ran to catch up with his siblings, waving back to his father as he went.

Lawrence watched the three children as they entered the carnival. He knew that Ferb was safe with Phineas and Candace. Phineas and Ferb could not have been closer if they had been flesh and blood brothers. And Candace, even before last night, had been a rather overprotective sister, whether or not she would truly confess to it.

Lawrence drove back to the house assured that not only would Ferb be safe but he would enjoy himself at the carnival as well if Phineas had anything to say about it. That thought put a smile on his face as he sauntered up the walk and in the front door. It was a few seconds before he realized that Linda was no longer the only person in the house waiting for him. His smile slowly faded.

"Honey," Linda said gently "This is Calvin Jessup, the family law attorney I've been talking to on the phone."

Lawrence nodded and with a smile smaller than the one he'd been boasting earlier he extended a hand to the sharply dressed man "Pleasure to meet you," he greeted before taking a seat beside Linda.

Mr. Jessup spread out several papers on the coffee table "I've dug as deep as I possibly can in this case," he began "I'll do the best I can for you and your family."

XXX

"Hey Candace," Jeremy called as soon as he spotted his girlfriend. He jumped from the stage where his band was performing a sound check and ran over to her and her brothers "You're right on time," he smiled as he gave her a quick kiss.

"Hi Jeremy," Candace swooned for a few moments before turning to her brothers. She bent down to face them "You two go have fun away from me. Meet me back here in time for Jeremy's concert."

As her brothers nodded and began to part she grabbed Phineas by the arm. She bent close to him and whispered in his ear "Stick to Ferb like glue," she didn't know why she'd actually taken the time to say it. It wasn't as if Phineas could do anything else. The two boys were inseparable as it was but something nagging at the back of Candace's mind forced her to say it.

Phineas nodded in response "Sure thing sis," he replied. Though he didn't know nearly as much as Candace did he still knew that Ferb was deeply troubled and that Diana's reappearance had affected his brother on a very negative level.

Phineas ran off to join Ferb and Candace turned her attention back to Jeremy. She allowed herself to swoon again "So I'm right on time?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at her boyfriend.

Meanwhile Phineas and Ferb were standing in line for the Ferris Wheel. Their best friend from across the street, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro was standing a few people ahead of them but quickly gave up her spot to go stand next to Phineas. "Hi," she greeted. The usual question of 'whatcha doin' didn't seem to apply in this case since it was plainly obvious that they were standing in line like everyone else.

It would have been appropriate to ask Ferb what he was thinking but Isabella rarely asked Ferb any such questions because it was well known that Ferb Fletcher did not tend to answer such questions and Isabella only had eyes for Phineas at that moment anyway. So though the thought did flit through her mind briefly, the entire thing was moot.

The line started to move and eventually it was their turn. The three of them shared a seat on the Ferris Wheel with Phineas sitting in the middle. When the ride reached the top Phineas pointed in the distance "Hey Ferb, I can see our house from here."

This was not a surprising declaration as the carnival was only about three blocks from the Flynn-Fletcher home. What was surprising was what Isabella said next as the seat descended "Hey, who's that woman in your front yard?"

Yes, Ferb had gotten a good glimpse, even from this distance he had a good idea that he knew. But he wasn't about to answer Isabella's question.

Isabella turned to Phineas, expecting even something as simple as an 'I don't know' but such a platitude did not emit from the red haired boy's lips. He had seen Ferb's reaction and knew what the answer to the question must be. Phineas was not one to lie so he would not tell Isabella that he did not know who the strange woman was. And yet, Phineas was not one to betray his brother. If anyone was to answer Isabella's question it would have to be Ferb.

The ride was drawing to an end and the seat that the three children were sharing was momentarily stuck at the top while people below disembarked. Again, Isabella looked towards the Flynn-Fletcher home and wondered aloud "Who could she be?"

Phineas elbowed his brother to give some sort of reply to the inquisitive girl. Ferb shook his head silently but after being elbowed again he nodded in resignation. After all, Isabella was their friend and Ferb knew he could trust her.

The seat that the three shared dropped a few feet as the wheel turned to let another group of passengers off. The drop obstructed the view of Phineas and Ferb's house. Ferb cleared his throat softly "Her name's Diana Fletcher. She's my birth mother…"

XXX

Meanwhile Lawrence and Linda had just come face to face with the aforementioned Diana Fletcher. As soon as Linda had opened the door to the house, Diana had blown in like an ill wind. She arrived in the living room to see no young boy dressed and ready to spend an afternoon with his mother but a full grown attorney, eyeing her suspiciously.

"What's this?" she turned to Lawrence "I said I wanted to see Ferb. You have no right to keep me from seeing my son," she was fuming. Lawrence could swear he saw little wisps of smoke coming from her ears.

If it weren't for Linda standing beside him, Lawrence didn't think he'd be able to stare down the raging beast that was his ex-wife. She looked as though she were out for blood. But with Linda's hand gently holding his, he was imbued with the strength to face her.

"Actually Diana," Lawrence began, motioning to Mr. Jessup "You don't have the rights you think you have."

"You see," Mr. Jessup stood up and stepped closer to Diana, holding a sheaf of papers out so that she could see it "Your release from prison on 'good' behavior was conditional upon several facts. Not the least of which is that you have no contact with your son."

Diana looked as though she'd been caught. Indeed she had believed that the judge's ruling in London could not follow her to the United States. She had hoped desperately to get just one glimpse of her son. But now she'd been found out. She frowned deeply at Lawrence.

"You measly, pitiful excuse for a man," she growled in a low voice "How cans you do this to me?"

"How could you do what you did?" Lawrence retorted "He nearly died Diana! He was three years old!"

Beside Lawrence, Linda began to quaver slightly. She'd had Mr. Jessup read the medical reports and police reports to her over the phone just that morning. She knew how close it had been. Linda attempted to control the urge to vomit or to punch Diana or to scream.

Ferb had been admitted to the hospital with a broken arm, several broken ribs, massive internal bleeding, numerous cuts, scrapes, bruises and fractures of bones in his wrist, legs and face. Twice they had lost the child's heartbeat on the operating table. His liver had been lacerated and because of the massive internal damage there had been talk of the boy requiring a kidney transplant. Thankfully his kidneys recovered and eventually so did the rest of him.

The list of physical injuries was nauseating enough but it was the police reports, the documents that supplied the 'why' behind it all that were truly sickening. Diana had bashed her son's tiny body against a wall repeatedly because he had asked her for a glass of milk when she had only just finished having a heated discussion with Lawrence involving Ferb and the child's future and what was best for the boy.

In interviews with police, Diana had confessed and shown no remorse for her actions, only feeling pity for herself because in her eyes Lawrence cared more about the child than about her. It was all thoroughly atrocious and Linda could hardly stomach to look at the woman let alone keep from pounding her to dust.

"You always did care more about him than you did about me!" Diana accused her face red with anger "And now after I finally track you down I find you playing house with some whore and her children!"

"Excuse me!" Linda was about to pounce on Diana when Lawrence cut her off.

"I'll thank you not to talk about my wife that way," he said coldly "And I'll thank you to get out of my house and stay out of my life and my family's lives forever."

Diana snorted derisively "I don't think so Lawrence," she told him "I came all this way to see my son and I won't leave until I get to see him."

Mr. Jessup handed her a document from the sheaf he was holding "You are going to have to leave," he told her "This is a restraining order stating that you are not allowed within fifty feet of your son. It states plainly the conditions laid out by the judge in London. If you violate this order you will be sent back to jail," Mr. Jessup reached for another document "And this is a restraining order advising you to stay away from all members of the Flynn-Fletcher family."

Diana took one look at the pages and tore them up "I'm his mother!" she shouted at Lawrence.

"No," Linda said abruptly "I'm his mother."

"How dare you?" Diana shrieked at Linda "Did you carry him inside you for nine months? Did you get up at three in the morning to walk him around the house when he was colicky?"

"No," Linda replied calmly "But I also never beat him within an inch of his life."

Diana lunged at Linda only to find herself being held back by Lawrence. The normally meek and polite man had a look of rage on his face "Don't ever think I'll let you get away with hurting any member of my family again Diana!" he hissed.

Diana was surprised by Lawrence's change in demeanor but that didn't stop her from attempting to fight him "Let go of me!" she shouted as he dragged her to the door.

"Diana," he stated plainly, looking at her with nothing less than contempt in his eyes "If you ever darken this doorstep again I will not hesitate to have you arrested."

Diana huffed and turned to leave. She made it three steps down the walk when she turned. Her face oddly stony and her tone eerily calm "Mark my words Lawrence Fletcher, you will be sorry." With those chilling words she disappeared down the street.

It didn't escape Linda's attention that Diana was headed in the direction of the carnival. Realization struck her quite hard and quite uncomfortably in the stomach. She nudged her husband and indicated the retreating form of his ex-wife.

Lawrence quickly picked up on his wife's worries and noticed the rate of speed at which Diana was moving "Call Candace," he said as he pulled his wife with him from the house and towards the car "We'll get there before her."


	4. Chapter 4: Snatch and Grab

**Long Shadows**

**Chapter 4: Snatch and Grab**

**A/N: This is where it gets pretty dramatic. I know it's seemed like it was pretty dramatic already but this chapter is like POW! …Okay, after hyping it like that I REALLY hope it doesn't disappoint. Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers. Special thanks to theaterinspired and AudreyMetalMouth. As always folks, your comments and feedback are welcomed and appreciated. In short, reviews please?**

"Candace honey," Linda was saying urgently into her cell phone.

"Mom…?" Candace's voice sounded immediately concerned. Candace could tell that something was very wrong by her mother's tone "What happened?"

"Are Phineas and Ferb with you?" her mother asked frantically.

"No…" Candace replied as she scanned the crowd around her for any sign of her brothers. She was beginning to grow worried as well "They went off to go on some rides and stuff… Mom, what's going on?"

Hastily Linda retold the encounter with Diana earlier that day and her threat. With every word she became more and more panicked "Take Jeremy with you when you go to find them Candace," she told her daughter, afraid of what Diana might be capable of.

Candace nodded "I'll call you as soon as I find them," she promised as she hung up the phone and turned to Jeremy.

Jeremy picked up on her change in attitude right away "Candace what's wrong?" he asked as he placed a hand on her arm.

"I'll explain while we search for my brothers," Candace told him hurriedly as she pulled him off into the crowd. It was a full hour until his concert was supposed to start so Jeremy willingly followed. Though, truth be told, the way Candace looked at that moment he would have dropped his guitar mid song to follow her to make sure she was alright.

XXX

Phineas, Ferb and Isabella sat on a bench sharing a bag of cotton candy. After Phineas had explained to Isabella that entire he knew about Diana, which was nothing compared to what even Candace new and a drop in the sea of knowledge that Linda now had, Isabella had comforted Ferb with a hug and suggested that they get some cotton candy.

"Should we go on the bumper cars or carrousel next?" Isabella asked.

"Hmm…?" Phineas wondered "Both those seem kinda lame…"

"Well, we don't want to go on anything too extreme after we've eaten," Isabella pointed out.

"That rocket ship ride thing looks pretty tame," Phineas remarked, indicating an attraction with a rather lengthy line.

"Umm…" Isabella was trying to think of a way to make it clear to Phineas that she wanted to go on the carrousel and wanted him to come with her.

"I think the carrousel would be best," Ferb said quietly. Roller coasters and rocket ships were all well and good but the carrousel brought back rather fond memories for him of his first ever trip to an amusement park.

Isabella gave Ferb a grateful smile as Phineas decreed "Carrousel it is then."

Surrounded by his brother on one side and his dear friend Isabella on the other, Ferb was starting to feel a little better. After all, no matter what happened back at home, Diana didn't have the slightest idea where he was.

Oh how wrong young Ferb Fletcher was about to be proven.

XXX

Diana Fletcher was a messed up, strung out, mentally fragile woman. That went without saying. But she was also clever. She had wanted to see her son but she knew that Lawrence in all conscience wouldn't let her. She was aware that she had done horrible things but she believed that she could be better now. Now that Ferb was older he would be more well behaved. She wouldn't get angry with him the way she had when he was a little tot. And if she didn't get angry, she wouldn't have to hurt him.

Diana had been watching the Flynn Fletcher house all morning and had seen Lawrence drive the children to the carnival. She knew she would need a backup plan if she was going to ask Lawrence for permission to see the boy.

Lawrence had once been an obedient husband, willing to do whatever she commanded. But once Ferb had come along things were different. Whenever he'd get home from work it was straight to the crib to play with the infant. Oh how Diana had been jealous of Lawrence's love for the child. But that wouldn't be an issue anymore, now that Lawrence didn't factor into her life.

She and Ferb could be a family again, just the two of them. It wouldn't take long for her son to adjust to a new life with her. Perhaps she could make it easy by bringing along the little red headed boy. Her son seemed to enjoy the other boy's company and Diana had always wanted another child. The red headed boy was about the same age as her son so he wouldn't be too much trouble either. That and the red headed child did not have any memory of her past cruelty. If she was able to keep from becoming angry with him, he would come to accept and love her more quickly than she was sure her son would.

She entered the fair grounds and immediately began her search for her son and the other child. She moved quickly through the crowd and soon spotted the two boys sitting with a dark haired girl on a bench. Diana had always wanted a daughter but she quickly realized that it was going to be impossible getting away on foot in this crowd with one child let alone three.

She would have to take her son now and perhaps the chance would present itself in the future to come back for the redhead. She approached slowly. She didn't want to surprise her son too soon. She knew all too well, though she was diluted with so much false hope and mental illness, that there was the distinct possibility that he would run from her.

The three children, even her son, were oblivious of her approach until she stood mere feet from them. It was then that her son looked up. His eyes went wide and he fell over backwards on the bench.

XXX

"Where are they Lawrence?" Linda fretted as she and her husband continued to search the fair grounds for any sign of their children. Candace wasn't answering her cell phone and Linda was beginning to panic.

"Don't worry dear," Lawrence attempted to sound reassuring, though he felt anything but at that moment "I'm sure we'll find them soon."

"Please let them be safe?" Linda prayed under her breath as she grabbed yet another passerby to ask them if they'd seen her children.

Again and again Linda and Lawrence came face to face with people who hadn't seemed to notice if Phineas, Ferb or Candace had passed them. It was becoming disheartening and Lawrence was ready to scream. The place was full of parents keeping a watchful eye over their own children but none of them could tell him if they'd seen his daughter or his sons? It was enough to break a man.

Lawrence could tell that Linda was already starting to break. He tried his best to remain calm when he spotted some semblance of hope in the crowd. He gingerly tugged on Linda's arm and indicated the two individuals he had spotted.

Linda began to feel hopeful again as she called out to the two "Buford! Baljeet!"

"Yes Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher?" the Indian boy responded politely.

"Have you seen Phineas, Ferb or Candace?" Linda asked desperately.

"Phineas and Ferb went with Isabella to go get something to eat," Buford pointed in the direction of the concession stands.

"Candace and Jeremy headed in that direction a few minutes ago," Baljeet added.

Linda could have kissed both boys. She settled for a grateful "Thank you," before she and Lawrence ran in the direction of the concession stands across the fair grounds.

"I wonder what that was all about?" Baljeet mused aloud.

"Let's follow and see," Buford stated.

XXX

"Ferb," Phineas and Isabella were immediately at Ferb's side "Are you okay?" Phineas asked his brother.

Ferb simply shook his head and pointed a trembling hand at a point over Phineas's shoulder.

Isabella was the first to see what had frightened Ferb so badly. Even though now that the woman was much closer and features that were hard to make out from a distance were now much clearer, Isabella could tell it was the same woman they'd seen from the top of the Ferris wheel. The girl gasped and stood to her feet as Phineas turned to the woman who so looked like his brother.

"Hello," Diana greeted, kneeling down beside her son "It's been a while."

Ferb kept his gaze on her as he backed away, scooting on his bottom until his back hit a wall. He looked more terrified than Phineas could remember ever seeing him.

Phineas turned to Diana "What do you want?" he demanded, anger starting to creep into his voice. No one would get away with frightening his brother when he was around.

"I came to see my son," Diana informed the boy. Her cheeks began to feel red with anger as she looked at the impudent pest "Get out of my way," she attempted to shove him but he stood there, barring her from reaching Ferb.

"Leave my brother alone!" he shouted "He obviously doesn't want to see you!"

Diana laughed mirthlessly "He's not your real brother kid. He's my son and you have no idea what he wants."

"I've got a better idea than you do!" Phineas shouted. His eyes scanned the crowd for any adult help but the occupants of his noisy surroundings seemed not to notice what was happening.

Isabella was watching Phineas stare Diana down, while at the same time offering Ferb a comforting hand to clutch and muttering under her breath so only he could here "It'll be okay, it'll be okay… Nothing bad's gonna happen... nothing bad's gonna happen…"

When the red headed boy still refused to move Diana became infuriated and kicked him in the stomach so hard that he doubled over in pain.

"Phineas!" Isabella and Ferb shouted simultaneously.

"Hey!" an angry shout reached their ears as salvation burst through the crowd. Candace, running at full speed and followed by Jeremy who was a good two meters behind, thrust herself between Diana and Phineas "Don't ever touch either of my brothers!" she shouted.

Before Jeremy could be at her side to lend support in facing down this menace, Diana grabbed Candace by her shoulders and flung her against the wall that Ferb was backed against. Candace fell with a loud thud beside Ferb.

The boy moved close to his sister. Candace wrapped her left arm around the boy "I'm okay," she reassured him in a hoarse whisper, seeing the worried look on his face.

Ferb shook his head, tears in his eyes. He stood up and faced Diana "Leave them alone, please," he whispered.

Diana, not really hearing a word of her child's desperate plea that she spare his siblings the sort of pain she'd rained down upon him in his early years, snatched the boy by his arm, gripping him tightly and dragging him away.

Jeremy did his best to stop her as Candace got to her feet. But Diana disappeared into the crowd. Jeremy looked to Candace for a moment "What should we do?" he asked.

"Follow her!" Candace shouted as tears streamed down her cheeks "Jeremy, please don't let her get away! I'll stay with Phineas…" she knelt to her remaining brother's side and gathered him into her arms.

Phineas too was crying. His and Candace's tears came from a place far deeper than mere physical pain. Jeremy knew this as he set off and managed to catch a faint glimpse of Diana through the mass of people. Their pain was far deeper and it wouldn't go away until Ferb was back with them.

Only a moment after Jeremy left to chase down Diana, Linda and Lawrence finally made it to the spot where Candace now knelt, cradling Phineas. Linda crumbled then, noticing the tears in the eyes of the two of her children who were before her and the absence of the third. She dropped to her knees and enveloped the two into her arms.

"She took him Mom…" Candace wailed "She, she just… took him and… and I…"

Linda desperately wanted to say something to reassure her children but words of comfort failed her. As Lawrence dialed the police on his cell phone all she could do was clutch Candace and Phineas, rock them back and forth and wail with them "No, no, no, this isn't happening. Please, let this be a bad dream!"

But it was happening. This nightmare was real, far too real.

XXX

Ferb felt ill. He tried his best to slow Diana down as she dragged him by his arm, nearly dislocating it. Eventually she got frustrated with dragging him and decided it would be much easier if she carried him.

Ferb felt his stomach churning as tears continued to poor down his cheeks. He could feel the inevitability that comes with impending vomit and tried to turn his head, knowing that throwing up on Diana would be the thing that would push her over the edge. She hated it when he'd been sick as a toddler.

He felt the bile rising in his throat and he let lose. The oddly cheerfully colored cotton candy pink vomit sprayed to the side for the most part but some of it landed on Diana's right shoe. Ferb noticed this and shut his eyes tight, knowing what was coming next.

Diana stopped on a deserted street corner and dropped her son to the ground. She grabbed him by his shoulders and bent so that her face was centimeters from his "Now, what did you do that for?" she asked harshly.

"I'm sorry," Ferb pleaded as she picked him up and threw him against a picket fence. "I'm sorry," he repeated as she threw him against the fence again.

"Stop it!" Jeremy had managed to catch up with Diana and Ferb "Let him go!"

Just at that moment police sirens entered the mix of otherwise quiet suburban sounds. Diana knew that she was caught and tossed the boy to the pavement.

Ferb was fully expecting that he would hit the ground hard. He hadn't opened his eyes since he'd thrown up. He was pleasantly surprised when he was caught by a strong pair of arms.

"I gotcha," Jeremy soothed as Ferb continued to cry.

Diana had fled into the yard belonging to the fence that she had thrown Ferb against and hopped from yard to yard, hiding behind trees and shrubs and sheds. She was completely out of site by the time the police arrived.

"Ferb!" Ferb looked up to see his family pull up beside the police cars. His parents launched themselves towards him and enfolded him in a warm embrace and soon he was being smothered with kisses from his mother.

Candace knelt down beside Jeremy "Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him.

"No problem," Jeremy tried to react nonchalantly about the whole thing but Candace could see through his bravado. She kissed him deeply.

Ferb looked up from his mother's embrace to see the one family member who had as of yet remained on the periphery of the group. Phineas was standing behind his mother, half hidden as he stared in shock, disbelief, relief, sadness and a melancholy sort of understanding. At his brother. Ferb managed a weak smile and that was all it took for Phineas to launch himself at the other boy and wrap his arms around him.

Both boys were enveloped by the comfort and support of their family. All of them cried their hearts out, glad to be reunited but also knowing that the struggle had just begun. Until Diana was found and put away, what she had done and the fear of what she could do would hang over them like an ominous shadow.


	5. Chapter 5: I Never Blamed You

**Long Shadows**

**Chapter 5: I Never Blamed You**

**A/N: This is a very emotion fraught chapter and the longest chapter of this story yet. Also, I've decided that Perry needs to be brought into this story after all. I hope you all enjoy.**

Dr. Hirano was kind enough to pay the Flynn-Fletcher home a visit to spare the family a lengthy emergency room visit. Linda had told Stacy's mother that she didn't think there was anything more severe than bruises and scrapes to show for the horrific ordeal that her children had been through and she didn't want to put them through a visit to the ER if she could help it.

After some close examination Dr. Hirano discovered that Linda had been correct in her assessment. Phineas was going to have a very large bruise in the middle of his abdomen for about a week, Candace's back was going to be a little sore for a few days and Ferb would have a set of angry purple fingerprint bruises on his arm where Diana had so forcefully grabbed and dragged him as well as a three inch scrape along his right side from being thrown against the fence. But from what Dr. Hirano could conclude there were no underlying injuries and no cause for alarm. Physically, the children were fine.

A hospital visit would have only served to further emotionally traumatize them after the day's events. For though physically they were in no danger and had suffered no permanent damage, it was obvious that Phineas, Ferb and Candace were still very terrified. It was obvious in the way that Candace refused to move from Jeremy's side on the couch and would not let either of her brothers leave her sight for more than a moment without a lengthy explanation as to where they were going (resulting in at least one awkward conversation in which Ferb attempted to convey in as subtle a way as possible that he had to use the bathroom to which Candace had promptly asked if he was going number one or number two).

It was obvious too in the way that Phineas kept staring after his brother, an unasked question in his eyes. Phineas Flynn had never known anything but kindness in his life since he was born. But he knew that in the wide, wide world there existed children who were not as fortunate as him. Earlier that day it finally dawned on him that his brother, his beloved best friend might be one of those very children. He was afraid to ask the question though. If Ferb were to confirm Phineas's fears it would be real and then Phineas was sure his heart would break.

Jeremy, after managing to rescue Ferb (though he refused to accept being spoken about in such gallant terms) had been invited to stay for dinner that night. It was still early afternoon when the family had gotten home but Jeremy refused to leave Candace's side. He too was an older sibling and didn't know what he'd do if someone came after his little sister. He couldn't stand the thought that there were people out there who could harm a child and his heart went out to Ferb.

Lawrence and Linda were still shaken up as well. Linda realized soon after they got home that she would have to buy at least two things from the market to complete dinner that evening but she was hesitant to leave the house and she wouldn't dare ask Lawrence as she knew he was feeling exactly the same as she was. In the end, salad was removed from the night's menu.

It was almost two hours after Dr. Hirano had left, recommending Tylenol for Candace's back and lot's of hugs and kisses for all three children, when Lawrence looked down at his two boys. They were sitting side by side on the floor, neither one of them saying anything. He tapped Ferb on the shoulder, causing the child to jump and causing Lawrence to regret the action.

"Just me," he assured softly. He indicated for Ferb to take a seat on his left knee before motioning for Phineas to sit on his right. He wrapped his arms tightly around both boys.

On the sofa, Candace had fallen asleep in Jeremy's lap. Jeremy too had allowed himself to relax. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even while one of his hands absentmindedly stroked Candace's hair. From the kitchen the sounds of Linda getting dinner started drifted through the house as late afternoon sunlight cascaded through the living room.

Phineas leaned back into his father's warm embrace and closed his eyes. He felt safe here. He looked over at Ferb to see that his brother too had relaxed significantly.

"I love you boys," Lawrence told them, his voice choking up a little as he looked from one to the other "I'm so sorry that I let her hurt you."

Phineas touched the bruise that was hidden by his shirt and smiled reassuringly at his father "It's okay Dad," he said softly "It's not your fault."

Lawrence looked at Ferb somehow unable to believe that his other son could share those feelings. After all the promises he had made to that three year old child so long ago and so far away in a London hospital room and now this.

Ferb wrapped his arms around his father's neck "I never blamed you Dad," he whispered.

Those words, those beautiful words of love brought Lawrence Fletcher to tears. He held both his boys so tightly that after a minute when he allowed thoughts back into his brain, he was afraid that maybe somehow he had inadvertently hurt them.

"Sorry boys," he said lightly "Everything alright, you can still breathe?"

Phineas and Ferb shared a short laugh. There was a long moment of silence before Phineas asked the question he'd been afraid to ask. Though the answer was already even plainer than the nose on his face to him, he needed to know "Did Diana… was she… I mean…" he hesitated, finding that he couldn't ask the question after all.

"Yes," Ferb replied, proving that non spoken communication between the brothers worked both ways.

"Phineas," Lawrence lamented. Though only three months younger than Ferb, somehow Lawrence felt that Phineas should be sheltered from the knowledge of what a monster Diana truly was at all costs.

"No," Phineas told his father "I… I want to know."

Ferb nodded in agreement "I've always told Phineas everything Dad, everything except this. It's time to be honest now."

Lawrence nodded "My brave, brave boy," he whispered "You've always been so much wiser than I could ever hope to be." Lawrence took a deep breath and looked Phineas straight in the eye, tightening his grip on his boys once again as they snuggled closer to him "I was a very foolish man before I met your mother Phineas," he began "I worked too hard and ignored signs that were right in front of me…" he sighed and fell silent.

Candace and Jeremy were awake now and had been listening. Linda had come from the kitchen and had sat beside Lawrence, taking Ferb into her lap and holding him to her as if her life depended on it. "You need to know the whole story if you're ever going to understand why we never want that woman to so much as come near you," she explained to Phineas.

Linda's presence gave Lawrence the courage he needed to continue "You see, when I met Diana, I never realized what I know now. She was very ill."

"She didn't look sick," Phineas once again involuntarily touched the spot where Diana's foot had connected with his midsection.

"Not that kind of sick," Lawrence half smiled at Phineas's innocence but the smile never reached his eyes because he knew that this story would permanently rip a bit of that innocence from him. He cleared his throat and continued "There's something wrong in her mind," he tried to clarify it to his son "She doesn't think like the you or me. She's got a personality disorder. It makes her believe that things are different than they actually are."

Phineas nodded though he didn't quite understand it. Was his father talking about some sort of imagination malfunction? Imagination could make you see things differently. But Phineas was sure that if it had to do with Diana's imagination then it was wired wrong. From what he knew of Diana so far she didn't see things in a good kind of different way the way he and Ferb could.

"Well," Lawrence attempted to continue but Ferb chose that moment to speak again.

"There was medication she took for it but she didn't like to take it."

Lawrence looked at his other son in confusion. Just how did Ferb know that? He shivered internally. What else had he not known?

"She used to beg me to make sure she took it," Ferb replied softly as he looked away from his father and Phineas. Linda increased her grip on Ferb as he began to shake "After she would punish me she'd come back an hour or so later and apologize. She'd make me promise her that I'd make sure she took her medicine…" Ferb began to sob softly "But I was little and I didn't always remember."

"Shhhhhh," Linda soothed "You're safe now," she cooed over the green mop of hair "She should never have made you promise her something like that."

"But the night that…" Ferb continued, looking up at his father with tear stained cheeks "That night, I forgot to make sure she took them. That's why she got so angry. I was bad and that's why she tried to kill me."

Ferb's guilt stricken and heartbroken words echoed through the room for a long moment. Phineas's eyes widened in absolute terror as he moved closer to his brother. Lawrence began to cry in earnest as he tried to engulf both his boys and his wife in his arms. Jeremy's jaw dropped and Candace flew off the sofa that she and Jeremy had been occupying to the one on which her parents sat, plopping down beside her mother and wrapping her arms as far as they could go over her parents and brothers.

"No sweetie," Linda assured him "You were never bad. You could never be a bad boy. Never."

Phineas was crying now too "I hate Diana!" he declared as he buried his face in his father's chest "I hate her! I hate her! I hate her!"

Linda agreed whole heartedly with her son's assessment "I do to sweetie," she said as she began slowly rocking Ferb in her arms "I do too."

"So do I," Candace put in as she rubbed a hand over Phineas's back before moving it to rub a soothing circular pattern into Ferb's back "She's just plain horrible."

Although Jeremy's eyes were transfixed on the tearful family before him, he did not fail to notice the short furry mammal that wandered into the living room at that moment "Oh, there you are Perry," he remarked as Phineas hopped from Lawrence's lap to retrieve the monotreme and swiftly returned to his father, platypus safely wrapped in his arms.

XXX

Perry the Platypus had had an absolutely exhausting past thirty six hours. The previous morning he'd been pulled away from his cozy curled up position at the foot of Phineas's bed by an urgent message from Major Monogram that Doofenshmirtz was up to some early morning antics.

Perry had hastened to his nemesis's lair to find him attempting something completely ridiculous but none the less totally evil. Things went as they usually did; Doofenshmirtz trapped Perry; Doofenshmirtz told an exceedingly long and boring back-story about his tragic childhood; Perry escaped and foiled Doofenshmirtz's evil plan. But the device: The Emergency-Broadcasting-Alert-Inator had survived the assault.

The device had somehow flown itself off into the sunset. This left Doofenshmirtz defeated but only briefly. Perry had trudged home, arriving long after the entire family had gone to bed. He'd curled up at the foot of Ferb's bed and managed to get a few hours sleep before he was once again called into action for yet another early morning.

The majority of his time today had been spent trying to beat Doofenshmirtz to the Emergency-Broadcast-Alert-Inator. He had finally managed to locate the device and destroy it and had been looking forward to a peaceful evening with his owners. So imagine his surprise when he entered his home, ambled into the living room, and was immediately swept into the midst of a crying family, his two young owners taking turns hugging him for comfort. Clearly Perry had missed some major developments while he'd been away battling his nemesis.

Perry attempted to gleam whatever he could from the conversation at the dinner table. All he really knew was that the trouble seemed to center around a woman named Diana. Her name was used by Lawrence and Linda more than once in a hushed conversation in the pantry. Unfortunately, other than the woman's name, Perry could only pick up on other key words from that conversation without it being painfully obvious that he was listening in.

Words like "police" and "dangerous" were red flags, as was the uttered phrase "I'm so scared Lawrence" as Linda fell into her husband's arms. Perry had known very few things to scare his owners' mother. He wanted to kick himself for not realizing what was going on under his own roof until now.

XXX

Jeremy sat beside Candace on her bed later that night. His arm was wrapped around her and she was leaning against his shoulder. Jeremy's eyes were half closed as he allowed himself to bask in Candace's presence beside him. But there was so much uneasiness still in the house so his basking was brief. Candace squeezed his hand tightly.

"What if the police don't find her?" she asked worriedly "What if she comes back? What if next time she takes him and we don't get him back?"

Jeremy looked down at Candace at a loss for words. He didn't know how to answer such questions. All he could do was offer a return squeeze of her hand.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door frame and Lawrence leaned in "It's getting late," he remarked "Jeremy, you should be getting home."

Jeremy nodded as Candace sat up, not being able to resist rolling her eyes as she said good night to her boyfriend "I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"You bet," Jeremy smiled before kissing her. The kiss would have lasted longer if not for Lawrence clearing his throat rather loudly in the middle of it.

"All right," he interrupted "That's enough. Come on Jeremy, I'll drive you home."

XXX

Perry was curled up at the foot of Phineas's bed, listening to Linda's long and drawn out good night to her sons. She hugged them both tight and kissed them multiple times "I love you," she told them both at least three times before tucking them in.

When she finally left the room, Perry thought that it wouldn't be long before he could search the house for something that better explained this Diana situation but Lawrence, who had returned from dropping Jeremy off at home, entered the room soon after Linda had left to say good night.

Lawrence knelt beside Phineas's bed first and wrapped his arms tight around the boy "You don't take your eyes off your brother tomorrow," he whispered.

Phineas nodded, his eyes shining in the dim glow cast by the night light "You can count on me Dad," he replied.

Lawrence smiled faintly at the boy as he pulled the covers up to Phineas's chin "Good night Phineas. I love you."

"Love you too Dad," the boy yawned.

Lawrence moved to Ferb's bed. He gathered the child into his arms and held him silently for a long moment. Perry adjusted his position on Phineas's bed so that he could better see and hear the interaction between father and son.

Surprisingly it was Ferb who spoke first "Please don't be afraid Dad?" he whispered.

Lawrence ran his hand through the boy's hair. He smiled faintly "You've always been looking out for me," he chuckled humorlessly "How can I not be scared about you?" he questioned, his grip increasing on the child.

"I'm scared for you too," Ferb admitted softly "She hurt you too."

Lawrence nodded "And I always hoped she'd never raise a hand to her son. How wrong I was," Lawrence pushed his glasses up his forehead to wipe tears from his eyes.

Phineas was already half asleep and hadn't heard what Perry had. Perry was very close to breaking cover at this point, finding it hard to keep the cross-eyes, dumb pet façade. He knew that Lawrence had been married before he met Linda. And because he knew that Linda would never harm a single hair on the head of any of her family, it stood to reason that Lawrence's first wife was the woman that was being referred to in this disturbing conversation.

That at least answered one of the many questions Perry had. This mysterious Diana was Ferb's biological mother. And from the sound of things, she wasn't a model of motherhood or wifehood by any standard. Perry desperately wanted to escape to his lair and do some research on this Diana woman but he wouldn't be able to leave without fear of breaking cover until the family was asleep.

"It'll be alright," Ferb assured his father.

"You've always been the strong one," Lawrence chuckled again "Even when you were still just a tot. I should be the one reassuring you and here you are the one trying to comfort me." He pulled the boy as physically close as he could "You know, I'll do whatever it takes to keep you from being hurt by her again."

"I know Dad," Ferb replied.

"I promise you Ferb," Lawrence told his son "No one will ever break our family apart." He released his son from the embrace and tucked him in just as he had Phineas.

As Lawrence left the room, he left the door open a crack. Perry decided that this was his chance. Stealthily and on all for legs lest he was caught, Perry crept from the room, noting that neither boy noticed his departure. As he entered the hallway he found Lawrence embracing Linda outside the door to their bedroom.

Perry noticed that they were both crying softly, attempting to comfort one another. He crept closer and overheard Linda whispering "They haven't found her yet. What if she comes back? What will we do?"

"Whatever we have to," Lawrence replied resolutely "If it comes to that," there was a long silence "Linda," he whispered "You know, I'll do anything to protect you and the children."

Linda looked up at him then "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," she said with a tearful smile as she led him into the bedroom and closed the door.

Perry took his chance and scurried downstairs. He'd thought that he'd caught the word "papers" earlier as he'd listened to the conversation between Lawrence and Linda in the pantry. So he headed for the office. He quickly located the papers he was looking for and had to suppress the urge to vomit. Diana was most definitely someone to be feared. He copied the documents and made his way to his lair.

Something needed to be done about this. Perry didn't trust the police to protect his family as well as he could.


	6. Chapter 6: It's Always Calmest

**Long Shadows**

**Chapter 6: It's Always Calmest...**

**A/N: I forgot to mention that Ferb was going to need to be more talkative than usual last chapter. I certainly hope that forgetting to mention that didn't cost me any reviews… I thought it would seem natural at that particular moment. Ferb will probably have several talkative chapters in my stories but I promise never to lump them close together if I can help it. There are sometimes when talking is necessary for Ferb and other times (like last chapter) when there are things that he needs to say, either to get something off his chest or to reassure a loved one.**

**This chapter is not as long as last chapter and I have taken the liberty of introducing an OC secret agent that I hope you'll all like. He is in no way going to overshadow Perry. He is simply (as it will be stated in the chapter) backup. I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always I would appreciate your reviews. Also, if you didn't leave a review for the last chapter, I'd kind of like it if you went and did that too as I really would like to bring the review count for this story to thirty with this chapter so that it will average out to being five reviews per chapter. Sorry, I'm a bit of a math geek who likes things neat and orderly and in whole numbers…**

Agent Mittens was a self proclaimed loaner. A Maine Coon cat of higher than average intelligence, he had been drafted by the OWCA when he was barely nine months old. He had taken to training like a pro and was one of the agency's top cats (there were more than twenty seven cat agents living in the OWCA base alone).

There were times when he longed for a home as he had had when he was a kitten but then he remembered that the agency came first and would always have to come first. Major Monogram and Carl along with the other animal agents were all the family he needed and the agency provided him with food, shelter and a cozy place to sleep.

Mittens, unlike other agents, had not been assigned a specific nemesis and was on call as needed. He was used to odd hours and being a cat, was nocturnal by nature anyway, so it didn't disturb him in the least when Major Monogram contacted him at one in the morning with a different type of assignment.

"Agent M!" Monogram began "I've received some troubling news from Agent P about his host family."

The large screen in Mittens's lair switched from Major Monogram's stern visage to a picture of a woman. Mittens stared at the picture questioningly.

"Diana Fletcher," Major Monogram explained "Maiden name Diana Scott. It appears that she is the biological mother of one of the children in Agent P's household. Earlier today we intercepted a police communiqué that a woman fitting her description had attempted to abduct a boy from the Danville carnival…" Monogram trailed off and by the change in his tone, Mittens could tell that he was worried.

"The boy was recovered relatively unharmed physically," Monogram continued "But Diana managed to elude capture…" again Monogram trailed off "Agent M, I don't have to tell you how seriously the OWCA takes threats against children."

Mittens nodded. Fighting evildoers was just one aspect of the agency. The agents were sworn to protect, preserve and enhance the lives of the humans both big and small in the world. The attempted abduction of a child was a very serious matter.

"Your mission Agent M," Monogram continued "Is to provide extra security to Agent P's host family," he paused for a moment "Agent P has been put on detached duty for the time being so that he may stay close to them until this matter is resolved and Diana is captured. Your job is to make sure that a situation does not arise in which he would be forced to break character in the defense of his family."

The screen switched back to Major Monogram's now decidedly less stern face as the fax machine on Mittens's desk began to print out several pages of information about the case. Mittens saluted his commander with a decidedly loyal and patriotic sounding "Meow"

"Good luck Agent M. Monogram out!"

Before the screen went blank, Mittens could hear Carl in the background asking in a rather sleepy voice "Can I go back to bed now?"

Mittens wasted no time in getting to work. Rather than go in full secret agent mode he chose to stick to acting as a normal stray cat unless otherwise warranted. It was the best way to do surveillance in this situation.

XXX

It was Sunday morning and there was nothing really to do but hang around and worry. Phineas and Ferb sat in the backyard beneath the old tree while their father and mother kept a close eye on them from the house. Perry sat with his owners, occasionally sparing a glance in the direction of a rather unassuming large white and tan cat. The cat would then surreptitiously flash Perry an all clear signal.

Stacy had invited Candace to hang out at the mall and though at first she was reluctant, her parents convinced her that there was nothing to be accomplished sitting at home all day and worrying. Candace made them promise to call if anything happened. Jeremy had come over just as Candace was leaving and decided to hang out with her and Stacy, offering to do the always needed task of carrying their shopping bags.

Phineas wracked his brain for something to do but could think of nothing but worry and fear for his brother who sat beside him. Every time an idea would come to him he would dismiss it would mean that perhaps he and Ferb would have to leave the backyard for supplies to accomplish such a goal and there was the possibility that they might get separated. And even if Phineas was with Ferb, he hadn't proven much help the day before, now had he?

Isabella strolled into the yard, not as merrily as usual. Her mother had explained the situation to her in terms the little girl could understand. That and what Isabella had witnessed the other day made her believe that her friends could use some cheering up.

"Hi Phineas, Hi Ferb," she greeted in a rather less than cheerful tone before adding "Watcha doin'?" It was obvious to her that they weren't doing anything but she enjoyed the ritual and having not used the line yesterday she was itching to say it.

"Thinking," Phineas replied solemnly.

Isabella offered him a small smile "How are you guys feeling?" she asked. She glanced in Ferb's direction, noticing that the green haired boy had his hands folded in his lap.

"Alright," Phineas answered noncommittally as he turned to Ferb.

Isabella hadn't expected Ferb to answer but he surprised her with a reply of his own "Better," though it was only one word the tone in which it was spoken conveyed so much, as did every little intonation or gesture when it came to Ferb. Isabella didn't need to be as in tune with the boy as Phineas was to understand the meaning in that single word

Isabella pulled of her backpack and set it on the ground "I brought some stuff over for you guys," she said with a smile.

XXX

Inside the house Lawrence stood as close to the bathroom door as he dared while still being able to see his children through the window "Isabella's here," he informed Linda as he heard another painful sounding series of retching noises.

"That's nice dear," Linda managed to say before she found herself expelling even more of her stomach contents into the toilet bowl.

"Are you alright love?" he questioned as he heard the toilet flush. He would have been in there comforting her had he not been needed to watch over the boys.

A few minutes later Linda emerged and Lawrence readily wrapped her in his arms "I'll live," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "All this stress, I've probably worked myself up into being ill."

Lawrence rubbed her back soothingly "The police will catch Diana soon," he assured her. Just that morning they had gotten a call from a police lieutenant who assured them that they had several credible leads on Diana's whereabouts.

"I hope so," Linda said quietly "I don't know how much more of this the boys can take," she stared out the window at the worried looking faces seated beneath the large oak as Isabella set out packages of water balloons and squirt guns and other summer time play things for them.

XXX

As Isabella set out a deck of novelty oversized cards Ferb reached for it and held it in his hands. Phineas picked up instantly on his brother's motion "Cards Ferb?" he asked.

"Isn't that more of an indoor thing?" Isabella asked "I really don't even know how they got in there."

Ferb opened the pack and began dealing out the almost comically large cards "The game is Go Fish," he informed as he finished dealing "Dealer goes first."

Phineas was suddenly struck by an old memory, a little fuzzy but still clear enough that it made him smile as he picked up his cards. And it was with extra exuberance fueled by this warm and comforting memory that he proudly declared, when Ferb asked if he had any threes "Go Fish!"

XXX

"I hope they're okay…" Candace fretted as she and Stacy left another shop in the mall, Jeremy following dutifully behind them, carrying the as yet single shopping bag. Stacy was the only one who was buying anything and it seemed as if Candace's heart really wasn't in it.

Jeremy rested his free hand on Candace's arm "I'm sure they're fine," he assured.

"Come on Candace," Stacy tried to brighten her friend's mood "Your parents would have called if something happened right?"

"What if they're not able to call?" Candace asked, looking at the floor beneath her feet.

"You're overreacting," Stacy told her with a friendly smile.

"You didn't see her," Candace explained "You didn't see what she did, what she was willing to do… You didn't see how scared of her Ferb was…"

"Why don't you call them?" Jeremy suggested.

Candace pulled out her phone and dialed her mother's number.

"If you're not going to even try to relax…" Stacy trailed off, surrendering to the inevitable. Her friend was worried and if a phone call home would help ease that worry than Stacy didn't mind.

"Hey Mom…" Candace began. It somehow felt odd to be calling her mother to check up on Phineas and Ferb instead of calling her in the vein hope of busting them. "I was just wondering, how's everything there? …Okay …So everything's fine," Candace breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Love you too Mom, I'll see you later," she hung up and turned to Stacy "Okay, let's get some serious shopping done."

"You ready bag boy?" Stacy teased Jeremy as they walked off.

Jeremy grabbed a hold of Candace's hand with his free one and gave it a reassuring squeeze "Ready, willing and able," he reported.

XXX

It was about two in the afternoon when Mittens received a message from Major Monogram on his wrist communicator. Mittens slunk into some bushes that were out of earshot but still within seeing distance of the Flynn-Fletcher backyard and answered.

"Agent M!" Mittens really wished that Major Monogram could develop an inside voice "We've dug up some disturbing news about Diana Scott."

"Can I tell him?" Carl asked in the background "I'm the one who found out."

"Fine," Monogram stepped aside and let Carl take over.

Carl was beaming at the opportunity but his expression quickly sobered when he remembered the situation. He cleared his throat "It seems that Diana Scott was part of a top secret British MI6 project known as Operation Wonder Woman."

Mittens shook his head in confusion at this information. He was utterly confused.

"She was a volunteer for a program intended to produce perfect agents," Carl continued "She willingly participated in unorthodox training techniques that were meant to improve her mental and physical prowess."

Major Monogram took over then "She was discharged from the program after developing a psychological disorder. She was prescribed medication for it but otherwise the British government didn't follow up with her. Operation Wonder Woman is one of the best kept secrets of Great Britain. They don't want this getting out."

Mittens nodded. It would certainly be a public embarrassment to the British government as well as possibly an international incident if Diana Scott was ever connected to the top secret project.

"British intelligence wants to handle her themselves," Monogram continued "That means this case is officially NAI."

Mittens let out a low throaty noise. NAI, No Animals Involved. OWCA agents would have to back off entirely and leave it to the humans to bring Diana down. Agent P was not going to like this.

"British operatives are already converging on Danville," Major Monogram told him "Inform Agent P that the two of you are to keep watch over the family but under no circumstances can you act if Diana Scott is spotted nearby. You are to contact me and I will report to the British operatives. Monogram out!"

Mittens closed his end of the communications link and slunk out of the bushes. He noticed that Agent P was looking inquisitively in his direction. He signaled to his colleague that he had something to report and the platypus promptly began to make his way over while trying not to be noticed by his owners, who were embroiled in a rather heated and animated game of cards.

Mittens knew that the NAI order was not going to be an easy thing to report. He took a deep breath and prepared to face Agent P's ferocity over the matter.

XXX

Diana crept up the street, keeping close to trees and whatever cover she could find. She scanned the surrounding area for not just people but any type of animal as well. She'd been aware of OWCA for some time now. Mentally unstable though she was, Diana was incredibly intelligent about certain things. The secret workings of the world were an area in which she excelled.

She checked the bag that she'd brought with her this time. Though she had a backup plan the day before she hadn't expected that getting a hold of her son would be so difficult; or that the blond boy that the local paper was hailing as a hero in its Sunday edition (which she'd caught a glimpse of on a front stoop as she passed by) would have been able to follow her so well. When she heard the police sirens she knew she had to cut her losses and try again.

This time, she'd brought a different kind of backup. She reached for the cell phone signal blocker that she had been able to obtain. It was one of the ones that also blocked emergency calls. She activated the device as she inched closer to her destination.

She replaced the device in her bag and eyed the street carefully before scrambling up a telephone pole as nimbly as a squirrel. She reached into her sack of goodies once again and pulled out a pair of wire clippers.

"Snip-snip," she giggled a bit to herself as she cut the phone lines and hurried back down to the ground where she immediately took cover again.

Placing the clippers back in her bag she withdrew a rather large knife. Diana was going to make sure she got her son this time, no matter what.


	7. Chapter 7: The Storm

**Long Shadows**

**Chapter 7: …The Storm**

**A/N: This is the second to last chapter. After this I will be focusing mainly on the prequel to this story entitled "When Lawrence Met Linda" but I will also be working on finishing up "Who I Am Inside" and hopefully I will also be able to post a sequel to this story concurrently with the prequel entitled "Fifth Grade Belongs to Us" which will focus on the gang after the school year starts.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you everyone for your reviews, keep them coming.**

"Go Fish!" Isabella said with a triumphant smile directed at Phineas after he'd asked if she'd been in possession of any queens.

Phineas picked up a card from the deck and grinned at Isabella "It's a Queen!" he proclaimed, proudly showing her the card "My turn!" Phineas turned to Ferb "Got any fours?"

Instead of replying Ferb stared wide-eyed at something over Isabella's shoulder. The cards slipped from his hands and even though two fours were left clearly visible on the ground, neither Phineas nor Isabella followed Ferb's horrified gaze.

There, sneaking around the corner of the house into the back yard was Diana.

Phineas was on his feet in a second "MOM! DAD!" he cried out.

Lawrence and Linda hurried out the back door at the sound of Phineas's terrified shriek. But by the time they'd arrived Diana had swiftly crossed the lawn and was holding the redhead by the shoulder, the knife in her hand hovering dangerously close to his throat "All you kids in the house now!" she commanded.

Isabella and Ferb obeyed silently

XXX

Mittens had been right about Perry's reaction to the NAI order. The only thing they could do was wait now. Things got significantly worse when Mittens spotted Diana approaching the house. He had motioned Perry over to him, knowing that he would have to keep just as close tabs on the other animal secret agent as he would now have to keep on the children lest Perry blow his cover.

When Diana brandished her knife and ordered everyone into the house Perry nearly bolted after her. Mittens was tempted to let him go. But his duties as a secret agent made him grab on tight to the platypus's tail and hold him there.

If looks could kill then Mittens would have been reduced to cheap kitty litter under the glare that Perry gave him at that moment. So much was said in that one look.

Of course Mittens didn't understand, Mittens would never understand what it was like to have a warm home with a loving family and vibrant children who you would give your life to protect. Perry struggled to get free but Mittens would not let him go.

Perry let out a defeated chatter and slumped to the ground. Mittens, still keeping a tight hold on the platypus in case this was some sort of trick (he would not have put it past Perry at that moment) began mewing reassurances to the monotreme.

XXX

"Lawrence, close the shades!" Linda ordered as she shoved Phineas inside the house.

Lawrence, his hands up in surrender and his heart racing did as he was told "Now Diana…" he began hesitantly "There's no need to do anything drastic…"

"Shut up!" she spat as she hoisted Phineas under one arm "Don't think I won't kill him!"

"Don't…" Linda whispered as Lawrence moved to stand beside her "Please… please don't hurt him…"

Ferb stared up at his biological mother with utter terror and disgust. He dared not move nor speak even a single word, his eyes transfixed on his brother's pale face. Phineas was crying silently and Ferb had no doubt that his brother truly believed he was about to die.

"Now Diana," Lawrence began, hazarding a tentative step in his ex-wife's direction "We can talk this out, there's no need to hurt anyone."

Diana stared at him with cold eyes before looking down at where Linda was now cuddling Ferb to her as she attempted to shield him with her body "You," she growled at Linda "I'll trade with you, your son for mine."

This was a deal that Ferb was more than ready to accept but Linda held him tight, keeping him behind her as she stood to face Diana "They are both my sons," she replied evenly. "Please, if any part of you has any memory of what it truly means to be a mother, you'll let Phineas go and leave?" Linda's voice was shaky as she spoke, keeping her eyes glued on Phineas while she pled with Diana.

Diana was struck at that moment by realization and clarity. She looked first to the terrified child in her arms and at the knife in her hand. Then she looked at her son who peered out from behind Linda. The other woman felt the need to shield Ferb, to protect him from Diana. Diana had the brief realization that she was the true monster here. Her grip loosened on the knife and it fell from her hands.

She dropped Phineas to the floor with a thud "I…" she began "I'm so…" but the moment of clarity didn't last long. She grabbed for the knife again. Thankfully by this time Phineas was also behind his mother and Ferb was hugging him tightly.

Diana glared at Linda "This," she gestured wildly around with the knife "This is all your fault, you WHORE!"

She turned to Lawrence, fury blazing in her eyes "How could you fall for such a cheap slut?"

"Now, just a minute Diana…" Lawrence stepped forward so that he was in front of Linda, shielding her and the boys "I don't think you're being entirely fair…"

"Oh, aren't I?" she countered. She pointed the knife directly at him "You took my son from me! You left the country! And you remarried!"

She drew her arm back and looked as though she was about to strike her ex-husband directly in the chest. "None of this would have happened if it wasn't for you!"

Phineas and Ferb covered their eyes. Isabella who was curled up on the floor in a corner let out a tiny gasp. But Linda, in a feat that can only be described as fueled entirely by adrenaline, pushed her husband to the side and kicked high enough that she struck Diana's hand causing her to drop the knife. "Don't touch my family," Linda seethed.

Diana's eyes flared with fury. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out a gun "Don't mess with me bitch!" she screamed.

"Linda!" Lawrence pulled his wife down beside him and together they shielded the children.

All three youngsters were crying now.

XXX

The house was surrounded with police officers when Jeremy pulled up. Candace jumped out of the car, hyperventilating as she rushed towards the front door.

An officer blocked her path "Excuse me miss," he said in a stern tone.

"That… that's my house…" Candace breathed as Jeremy and Stacy came up on opposite sides of her.

"What's going on?" Stacy asked with wide eyes as she placed a comforting hand on Candace's shoulder.

"Move along kids," the officer told them.

Candace began to shake and Jeremy wrapped an arm around her "But… but that's my house!" she screamed, trying to make the officer understand "My parents and my brothers…"

The officer looked at Candace and realization struck him. Sympathy filled his face "Approximately fifteen minutes ago a woman who identified herself as Diana Fletcher entered the residence and took the family members hostage," he told her. "We arrived after being informed of the situation by a little girl who was released by the hostage taker," he indicated Isabella who was ten feet away, wrapped up in her mother's arms and sobbing.

Candace ran towards Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro "Isabella," she breathed, kneeling down beside the sobbing girl "What happened...?"

Isabella managed to look up at Candace "She… she's got a gun…" Isabella replied before burying her face in her mother's shoulder again.

"Mom, Dad, Phineas, Ferb?" Candace asked frantically "Are they…?"

"They're not hurt," Vivian Garcia-Shapiro answered Candace "Candace, you need to get back and let the police do their jobs," Vivian looked incredibly pale as she cradled her daughter in her arms.

Candace felt her knees giving out. She started to descend towards the ground only to have Jeremy catch her and lead her back to where his car was parked. "I'm here for you Candace," he told her. They were the only words he could possibly think of to say at that moment.

"What if something happens to them…?" Candace whispered as Jeremy held her.

Stacy disappeared for a moment and reappeared holding a bottle of water that she'd borrowed from a neighbor. She offered it to Candace "Here," she offered.

Candace took the bottle gratefully and hesitantly sipped at it. She slumped into Jeremy's arms and let her eyes drift closed as the tears came. She could still remember all those years ago, standing outside of an apartment building, waiting on pins and needles, worrying about the well being of a loved one.

But back then it had been different, back then she'd had Mom and Ferb with her. This time she was separated from her family. So she clung to Jeremy with everything she had and waited, praying that she would receive the same sort of good news she'd gotten that day long ago.

XXX

Lawrence and Linda stood in front of their boys, holding hands as they faced Diana. The boys were shaking as they peered out from behind their parents. Ferb whispered something to Phineas who shook his head and clung on to his brother for dear life.

"Now, the only question remaining is which of you I kill first," Diana snarled at her ex-husband and his wife.

"Please," Lawrence spoke up "Leave Linda and the boys alone. Like you said, I'm the one who caused all of this…"

Linda's grip on his hand increased to the point where she was afraid she might break it "Lawrence…" she whispered so softly that only he could hear "Don't…"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Diana shouted at Lawrence as she jerked the gun in his direction.

XXX

The concussive sound of a gun shot rang through the air outside the house. Candace didn't dare open her eyes as she wailed "No…" her tears came fast and free and sobs quickly followed "No… no… no…"

The police conferred with one another over the radio and soon confirmed that it wasn't one of theirs who had fired. Candace pulled away from Jeremy and started running towards the house.

"Candace!" Jeremy and Stacy both shouted as they tried to follow her. But they were stopped by officers.

"You can't go in there," one of the officers told them as Candace disappeared through the front door. Officers had tried to stop her too but her quick and unexpected reaction to the gun shot had caught them off guard.

Candace raced into the living room to find her mother and father hugging the boys tightly as they stared at the crumpled figure of Diana on the floor. A white haired man was just finishing pulling himself through a back window that had previously only been opened a crack.

"Carl," the man began gruffly "Why in blazes do these tranquilizer guns sound so much like real ones?"

"I don't know sir," came the reply from outside the window.

The white haired man smoothed his clothes and turned to the family "Is everyone alright?" he questioned.

Shocked, stunned and silent nods were the only answers to his question.

"Good, good," the man replied before turning to Candace "Young lady, if you could go tell the police that the situation has been handled pleas?"

Dumfounded, Candace simply nodded before leaving the house again. It wasn't long before the police lieutenant in charge entered the house to talk to the mysterious man.

The man simply pulled a document from his pocket and handed it to the lieutenant "I believe everything is in order," the man stated "My organization has special permission from the British intelligence community to hold Ms. Scott until such time as they can deport her back to Great Britain."

The police lieutenant nodded and turned to leave. As he passed the boys Phineas caught him muttering under his breath "OWCA… Damn secret organizations… stealing our thunder…"

Phineas approached the strange man who was in the process of assisting his companion Carl in placing Diana in what looked to be heavy iron restraints. "Sir…?" the boy began.

"Yes?" the man looked at the red haired child "What can I do for you young man?"

"Who are you…?" Phineas asked in confusion.

The man looked at Phineas. The Amnesia-Inator had done its work it seemed. The man, who if you haven't guessed by now was none other than Major Francis Monogram, pondered how to answer the boy's question very carefully before replying "A friend."

"Well whoever you are," Lawrence stepped forward and grabbed Monogram's hand in both of his and shook it vigorously "Thank you!"

"Sir," Carl tapped on his superior's shoulder "The transport is here."

Monogram nodded and between him and Carl they dragged the unconscious Diana out of the house and to a waiting black van with the letters "OWCA" on its side.

As soon as she saw them leave the house, Candace grabbed Jeremy and Stacy and with Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro and Isabella they rushed inside to embrace the rest of the Flynn-Fletcher family.

Perry and Mittens stood beside the van. Perry removed his hat and bowed in gratitude to Major Monogram. Monogram nodded "My pleasure Agent P. Glad I could help." He climbed in the van and motioned to Mittens "Come on Agent M. The paperwork on this one's gonna take hours."

The Maine Coon cat leapt into the van and the door closed behind him. Perry put his hat away and dropped to all fours as he approached the house. Phineas and Ferb met him at the door.

"There you are Perry," this time it was Ferb who spoke the familiar words as he hefted the platypus into his arms.

In the van Mittens looked out the back window at the picture of a happy and saved family rejoicing together and couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Perry at that moment.


	8. Chapter 8: End or Beginning

**Long Shadows**

**Chapter 8: End or Beginning?**

**A/N: And finally the last chapter is here. This is mostly a wrap up of the story but it's also a setup for the sequel and has many clues to a second prequel that I've got in the works. I hope you all enjoyed this story. I most certainly enjoyed writing it especially knowing that I have all you kind and wonderful readers who are so very interested in my ideas.**

"Monogram," Inspector Initials looked none too pleased as she walked into Monogram's office "You got lucky. Next time you decide to take matters into your own hands the British intelligence community might not let you off so easily."

The man in question shot his visitor an angry stare "You're lucky that no one got killed," he retorted "If anything had happened to that family you can bet I would have held you personally responsible."

"You're getting too emotionally involved with the lives of your agents and their covers," Initials pointed out.

"To my agents the families they live with are more than covers," Monogram retorted.

"Perhaps you should re-evaluate how OWCA does business," Initials commented "If there's one thing that can get in the way of doing your job correctly, it's feelings and attachments."

"Maybe you're the one who needs to re-evaluate how they do things?" Monogram muttered as his British counterpart turned to leave.

Moments after Inspector Initials had left Carl popped his head in "Sir…" he began hesitantly.

"What is it Carl?" Monogram asked, his tone was less than enthusiastic. It had been a long day and he was tired. It wasn't just the encounter at the Flynn-Fletcher household or the endless paperwork that came with taking the matter into his own hands to work around the NAI order. He just wanted this day to be over.

"The OWCA board wants to see you…" Carl replied, his gaze shifted from point to point in the room but never met Monogram's own world weary eyes.

Monogram sighed "Well, I knew this was going to happen," he stood up. As he passed Carl he patted him on the shoulder "Hope they didn't give you too hard of a time," he offered the younger man a weak smile.

"No sir…" Carl replied, not wanting to tell his superior and the man that he idolized just what had happened during his meeting earlier with the OWCA board.

Monogram headed for the elevator and once inside he pushed the button for the top floor. He stuck his hands deep into his pockets as the elevator took its time in reaching its destination.

Like all government organizations, secret or otherwise, OWCA's divisions were overseen by a single group of higher-ups. Major Monogram along with his peers such as Admiral Acronym answered to these board members whenever necessary. As the elevator traveled up to the top floor, Monogram wondered when the last time was that he had been summoned before the board. And then it hit him, the second dimension disaster… Had the Amnesia-Inator had a latent affect on him too? He found himself smiling a bit at the thought.

Perhaps his otherwise spotless record with the agency would sway the board in favor of leniency for this transgression. While the British intelligence community was not out for his blood, Monogram knew that it was a far different story with the OWCA board.

The elevator doors opened and Major Monogram was presented with a long hallway which led to the room where the board conducted their business. As he walked down it, he wondered what made them choose this particular architectural design. He guessed there was something appealing to the most powerful people in organizations about long dramatic corridors. He supposed they got a kick out of knowing that as the person on the way to see them walked that corridor that he was inevitably pondering his fate.

He reached the end of the hall and pushed the button for the intercom beside the heavy wooden door. "Major Monogram to see the board," he stated plainly.

"Come in," the gruff voice of General Grammar replied.

Monogram pushed open the door and was immediately confronted with the stern gazes of the entire board who sat around a large semi-circular table.

"Please Major, take a seat," Director Dictation, a woman in her mid forties, offered in a polite voice.

Monogram took the loan seat on his side of the table where he could see every member of the board and they could see him.

"I believe you know why we've called you here," Director Dictation continued.

Monogram nodded and fidgeted in the chair just slightly, attempting to get comfortable for what he foresaw to be a long meeting.

XXX

Carl was just finishing emptying the things from his desk when Major Monogram returned. Carl offered his mentor a salute as he hefted the box under one arm "How did it go sir?" he asked, knowing it couldn't have gone too well but hoping it wasn't nearly as bad as it could be.

"They'll be wanting to see Agent P tomorrow," Monogram told Carl "They didn't want to tear him away from his family tonight when he'd most likely be missed…" he trailed off and studied Carl carefully "So… you'll be working for Admiral Acronym?"

Carl nodded "Yes sir," he replied.

"Good, good," Monogram continued "Glad they didn't toss you out because of me."

"I stood up for you sir," Carl said quietly "What you did was the right thing."

"It means a lot that you think so Carl," Monogram sighed, sitting down at his desk "The board would rather I waited for the British agents to take Diana down. Never mind that she was about to massacre an entire family, never mind that the police would have shot her dead before Initials and her group could have gotten there…"

"What else did the board say…?" Carl asked tentatively.

"Agent P's host family has been a touch and go issue since the second dimension battle," Monogram leaned forward, catching his chin in the palm of one of his hands "Now it seems like the Flynn-Fletcher's are some sort of poison. Even the slightest close call in the future may give the board cause to reassign Agent P."

Carl shook his head sadly as he headed for the door "Hopefully the board will come around," he remarked, trying to bring some hope into an otherwise hopeless situation.

"You're an optimist Carl," Monogram chuckled "You'll do well in this world, but you'd do best to take that optimism somewhere else. The OWCA board doesn't change their minds lightly."

"Optimism's like jello," Carl grinned "There's always room for it."

Monogram's face burst out into a smile and he laughed "Oh, I'm gonna miss you around here Carl."

"I'll miss you too sir," Carl saluted with his free hand.

"Do the organization proud under Admiral Acronym," Monogram told him "And don't let her kill that optimism… She has that affect on people."

"I'll do my best sir," Carl said as he left "Goodbye," the sound of the door closing as Carl passed through it was so final in Monogram's mind that he couldn't help getting a little misty eyed. He knew that things would only be worse tomorrow after Agent P's meeting with the board.

XXX

Lawrence stood in his sons' bedroom, just watching them sleep. He was so relieved that everything was back to normal, well more normal, well… it wouldn't be normal again, now that Linda knew the truth about Diana but at least he wouldn't have to lie to his family anymore.

The lie had initially been to protect Ferb. Being the new boy at a new school and his father meeting and starting to date a new, strange woman, Lawrence hadn't wanted the truth of what he'd been through to haunt his son. But it had anyway; lying about it hadn't changed the past.

Lawrence bent down and kissed Ferb's forehead. Had the boy been awake, Lawrence knew he would have protested, not verbally of course but he would have wiped at his forehead vigorously and made a face.

Lawrence smiled at the thought. His son, the child who in so many ways had had to grow up so fast for his father when he was still just a toddler, had somehow reclaimed that lost childhood. And Lawrence knew that Phineas had a large part in that.

Lawrence turned to Phineas and smiled at his other boy. He was so grateful that his entire family was safe. When he closed his eyes he could still see the frightened look on Phineas's face as Diana held that knife to his throat. He bent down and kissed Phineas's forehead as well. "My two brave boys," he smiled "God forgive me for what's happened to you because of this cowardly old fool."

He thought he saw Phineas blink in the soft glow cast by the nightlight but he eventually decided that he must have imagined it. He stood there watching his sons sleep for several more minutes. He was hesitant to leave them. Candace had been in the room earlier but had left when the boys had told her it was hard to get to sleep with her there.

Linda would have been in the room with him if not for the fact that she had spent the entire evening on and off between the loo and bed. She had told him she supposed it was just nerves but Lawrence was increasingly unsure about that.

Eventually, at half passed three in the morning, he pulled himself away from his sons' bedsides and went to locate his wife. He found her in bed, awake, cuddling with his pillow. She smiled when she saw him and released the pillow so that he could use it "I was wondering when you'd come to bed," she whispered as she snuggled up tight against him "Are the boys alright? No signs of nightmares?"

"None that I can see," Lawrence replied as he wrapped his arms tightly around her "At least someone in this house will get a sound night's sleep tonight," he remarked. He knew for a fact that Candace was still awake on her laptop, distracting herself from sleep with websites and computer games.

And exhausted though Lawrence felt, he was certain that the night wouldn't yield anything close to restful results for him. Diana may have been dealt with but that didn't mean the fear that she'd inspired was gone from their lives. He could feel the slight tremble running through Linda's body when she'd snuggled up against him. It was obvious that she'd been lying there; plagued by the horrible thoughts of what might have been had the afternoon gone differently and she'd been waiting for his comforting touch.

He kissed Linda softly on the lips "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she murmured back, her voice heavy with sleep. It appeared that she felt assured enough by his presence to risk letting dreams take over her mind.

Lawrence smiled as he too allowed himself to close his eyes "Good night darling."

XXX

It was a little over week later and Perry was on forced sabbatical by order of the OWCA board. He had another month left of banishment before he could return to the business of fighting evil. It wasn't that he found anything particularly unsavory about having time to lounge around the house during the warm sunny days but he hadn't gone this long without any sort of contact with the agency. It was unsettling to him.

As much as he enjoyed spending time with Phineas and Ferb and watching their spectacular inventions, he missed seeing Major Monogram on a daily basis, he missed Carl, he missed wearing his fedora and flying his jetpack, heck, he even missed Doofenshmirtz and foiling his evil schemes, no matter how ridiculous they might be.

It was a lazy Monday afternoon when Candace attempted to drag her mother through the house into the backyard to see another one of Phineas and Ferb's inventions, a Life Sized Multi Level Remote Control Car Track with Ten Loop de loops, if Perry remembered correctly.

Linda was putting up more of an argument than usual "Candace, where's your father. Candace, let go of my arm! Candace! Candace, STOP!"

At the sheer volume of Linda's last command, Candace stopped short in her tracks "Dad's still at the lawyer's office down town…" she trailed off "I thought that what you were gonna tell us was gonna wait until he got back?"

"It still is," Linda managed an apologetic smile at her daughter "But now I've got some news that's gonna make the other news sound even better."

"What is it?" Phineas asked as he and Ferb walked in from the backyard.

"Oh, you're just gonna have to wait until your father gets back," Linda grinned mischievously at her boys "I wanna tell him first so that we can tell you together." Linda fairly flounced upstairs to wait for her husband.

Candace, who had by this point given up on busting Phineas and Ferb today, glanced out the back door "Hey, where'd the racetrack go?"

"Some guy with a fleet of helicopters took it away to be the star attraction at his new theme park," Phineas replied.

"That figures," Candace replied, putting a hand to her forehead.

XXX

Lawrence arrived home with a folder full of papers and an enormous grin on his face. He spotted Candace as soon as he walked in the door "Candace," he greeted cheerfully "Have you seen your mother?"

"Yeah," Candace replied "She got home about an hour before you did. She's upstairs. She said she had big news but that she wanted to talk to you about it first."

"Big news?" Lawrence raised an eyebrow "That's not the same big news I told you kids I was hoping to get this afternoon?"

"She said it was different," Candace remarked as she turned the page in the magazine she was flipping through.

Lawrence shrugged and headed upstairs. He found Linda reclining on their bed. He plopped down beside her "So I take it the doctor figured out what was making you so ill?"

Linda grinned "He sure did," she rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Did he give you something for your nerves?" Lawrence questioned.

"It's not my nerves," Linda chuckled "It's something else…"

Lawrence looked at his wife and dared to hope "Linda…" he breathed "Are you…?"

Linda nodded "Yep," she patted her stomach gently "Baby on board."

Lawrence kissed his wife "But I thought…"

"So did I," Linda replied.

"The chemo and all…" Lawrence couldn't help grinning.

Linda laughed and snuggled close to him "And all meaning, and me being in my forties?" she asked.

"Uh…" Lawrence cringed a little bit, not knowing how to answer that question "No, not at all."

Linda laughed again before tapping the folder in Lawrence's hand with her index finger "I see you brought something back from Mr. Jessup's office."

Lawrence smiled broadly "I most certainly did." He pulled out the first document and handed it to Linda "Being back in prison seems to have given Diana some sort of clarity, thank goodness."

Linda looked through the document. It was an official termination of Diana's parental rights, signed by Diana herself. She grinned "So I guess this means…"

Lawrence nodded as he withdrew further documents from the folder "That's exactly what it means love."

XXX

"Adoption…?" asked Phineas, looking up at his father. Phineas sat on Lawrence's lap and Ferb sat on Linda's. Candace sat between her parents on the sofa. "Didn't you guys talk about that when…?" Phineas trailed off with the painful memories of three summers ago.

"We talked about it," Linda said with a faltering smile on her face as she too remembered the events of that summer "But with everything that was happening there was never any time."

"And back then it was just about me adopting you two kids," Lawrence said, squeezing Phineas and Candace in a hug "This time it's about making everything we know in our hearts is true, legal on paper for the whole world to know."

Candace nodded "So this time, you're not doing it just because…" she trailed off. It was still a sore topic, her mother's breast cancer was a dark point in the family's past that none of them liked to remember.

"It was never just because of that," Lawrence told her. It was never just because Linda had been so ill that they feared she would die that he wanted to adopt Phineas and Candace.

"And I'm going to be adopting you too Ferb," Linda smiled, giving her green haired son a gentle squeeze.

Ferb smiled up at his mother "What about Diana?" he asked. Ferb had researched adoption on the internet extensively since that dark summer. He wanted Linda to be his mother for the world to see. He didn't want people just to call her his stepmother. He knew that Linda couldn't legally adopt him unless his biological mother surrendered her parental rights.

Linda smiled and kissed Ferb on the forehead "She's not gonna stand in my way," she told her son. Knowing that her son was more knowledgeable than most boys his age, she removed the termination of parental rights from from the folder on the coffee table and handed it to him.

Ferb's face literally lit up when the second he realized what the paper was. He wrapped his arms around his mother's neck "I love you Mom," he told her.

"I love you too, son," she smiled as she returned his embrace.

"And I love you both," Lawrence hugged Candace and Phineas tightly.

After returning her father's hug Candace turned to her mother "So what else did you have to tell us Mom?"

"Well," Linda began "As you kids know, I had an appointment with the doctor."

The three children exchanged looks. They had been worried about their mother's condition all week and had briefly thought that perhaps she was having a reoccurrence of her cancer. But they knew this wasn't the case. A heavy burden had been lifted from their hearts when Linda had come home telling them she had good news. Now all they were wondering was what it could possibly be.

"This family's gonna be getting a little bigger," Linda told them.

All three children looked at her in awe "You're…" Candace began.

"Really…?" Phineas asked.

Ferb turned in his mother's lap and reverently stroked his mother's still flat stomach with a soft smile.

"Yep," Linda smiled "Just about a month along."

Phineas, Candace and Lawrence's hands soon joined Ferb's on Linda's abdomen.

"I hope it's a girl," Candace grinned "There are too many boys in this house as it is."

The entire family burst into laughter as Perry lumbered over to the sofa to be picked up by Phineas and included in the mirth. Perry chattered happily as Phineas proclaimed that Candace was enough sister for him.

Candace gave Phineas a playful poke in the arm before declaring that she was going to call Stacy and tell her the good news. Candace left the room and headed upstairs. Linda looked out the living room windows at the setting sun and gasped, realizing the time.

"What am I gonna do about dinner?" she asked "I didn't get a chance to go grocery shopping today."

"Let's go out to eat," Lawrence said with a grin "A celebration dinner."

""That's a great idea," Linda grinned thankfully at her husband. It was nice to get a break from having to prepare dinner once in a while.

"Phineas, why don't you go tell Candace to get ready?" Lawrence smiled down at the red headed boy as Phineas slid down from his father's lap and ran to get his sister.

"It's supposed to be a bit chilly tonight," Linda remarked as Ferb stood to his feet "Go up to your room and grab a jacket, and remind your brother to get one too," she said gently.

Lawrence wrapped an arm around his wife as Ferb ran up the stairs after Phineas "I talked to Mr. Jessup about a good child psychologist for Ferb," he remarked as she snuggled up against him.

"I think it will be good for him," Linda remarked "But let's not mention it to the kids tonight. After what happened I think Phineas and Candace could benefit from some therapy too."

Lawrence rubbed his hand over Linda's stomach again "I can't believe it," he whispered in awe "We're gonna have a baby," he stopped abruptly and his expression changed "You were pregnant when Diana…"

Linda wrapped her arms around her husband's neck "She's gone now," Linda assured him "She can't hurt you or Ferb or any of us now."

"We came so close to losing everything…" he whispered, his eyes misting over a bit.

"But we didn't," Linda told him with a small smile "We're all here," she kissed him soundly on the lips.

"Uh… guys…" Candace cleared her throat.

The parents separated to see all three of their children standing before them, dressed and ready to go. Phineas and Ferb were pulling faces at the public display of affection that their parents were putting on. Linda jumped to her feet "Who's hungry?"

A chorus of "Me" coming from Candace, Phineas, Lawrence and even Ferb answered her.

"Then let's go," The family exited the house and got into the car. They'd been through a lot and they'd face a lot in their future but tonight was a night to celebrate, as a family.

**THE END**

**A/N: Well, that's the end. Like I've said before the sequel will be entitled "Fifth Grade Belongs to Us" and the first prequel I have planned with be called "When Lawrence Met Linda" the second prequel which will deal with Linda's bout with breat cancer does not yet have a title. Once again I hope you all enjoyed this story. And if you did, I would love to hear about it in a review. Your reviews are much appreciated and make my day/night/whenever I get them.**


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